Daughters of the Wolf
by LupinTwins
Summary: It's more than a year after the defeat of Voldemort. Remus Lupin is now married with children, this is their early life. Prequel to a series we'll have up soon.
1. Chapter One: The Twins are Born

**An Untimely Tragedy**

On the night the full moon, the five-year-old twins Jerica and Jennifer Lupin saw it as a time with extended family, rather that a time when their parents and two-year-old brother went away for a night to become werewolves.

Jennifer watched the waxing and waning of the moon and had deduced that tonight was another full moon. "Jeri, guess what! Tonight's another full moon I think!"

Jerica had learned not to doubt her younger sister's intelligence when it came to book-smarts, and especially the position of the moon. "Yay! Mummy! Daddy!" she screamed.

"Yes, darling?" called back her father, running from the living room.

"Who's staying with us tonight? Is it Tonks? Or Aunt Ginny? Or maybe even Uncle Harry?!" she said with great excitement.

Remus laughed at his girls' intelligence and answered, "Your mother's flooing with Aunt Ginny right now, she'll be over in an hour, and Uncle Harry will stop by after Pro Quidditch practise."

"Yay!!" both girls cheered, Jen loving the stories Aunt Ginny would tell about Hogwarts, and Jerica enjoyed playing made up sports with her Uncle Harry, even though she knew he was letting her win.

"Why don't you two clean your play room before they come over while I get Siri ready," they're father said, knowing neither twin would comply.

"But I want to play with Siri before you all leave tonight!" Jerica whined.

"I do too!" Jennifer answered.

Remus laughed as his girls argued over who got to play with their little brother, "You can both play with him, come, he's in the living room. Both girls dashed out and Remus looked over the great mess in front of him. He decided to straighten it up a little before Harry and Ginny came over, close as they were to family, the disaster area still embarrassed him slightly. With a wave of his wand, the toys were organized, the marker stains disappeared, and spilled food gone. "Much better." He said to himself.

Remus heard the whooshing sound of the floo network and the joyful screaming of five year olds, meaning that Ginny Potter had arrived. Remus ambled downstairs to see Ginny handing small gifts to the three children, two ecstatic girls, and a placid boy. To Jen, a book, Jeri a muggle soccer ball, and Siri a set of Duplos, which he couldn't yet play with. "Thank you so much Ginny, it means so much to Aria and I, and you know how much the girls love you. And you needn't go to all the trouble of getting them gifts each time you come."

"Remus, don't worry about it. Besides, the reason the girls love me is _because_ I bring them gifts."

Aria came in through the kitchen and laughed. Evidently she had been listening. "Ginevra Potter, don't talk like that. You know the girls love you because you're you."

"Yeah, Gin-gin, we love you! The presents are a nice bonus," Jerica joked.

Ginny bent down and hugged Jerica tightly, looking over the girl's head at her twin and little Sirius.

"It's strange," Ginny said, looking at the small boy, "how much he's like his father's friend."

Remus frowned. "I did hope I wouldn't have to deal with such a troublesome child. If he's more like Sirius than I thought, this may be difficult."

Ginny laughed. "You're terrible, Remus."

They hugged, said their goodbyes, and the three Lupins left for the forest so they could safely transform.

The twins ran over to Ginny and tugged on each of her arms, begging to play. Ginny laughed and told them she had to cook.

"Oh, can we have Spelli-O's? Or Witch Sandwiches?"

"Honeys, I promised your Mummy I'd give you something more nutritious. How about potatoes and chilli? Or maybe you'd rather have pudding and stew?"

"I want chilli," Jeri said. Jen quickly agreed, so Ginny set to work.

"So are you girls interested in any boys yet? Perhaps someone from down the street?" Ginny asked slyly.

"What?!" Jeri said incredulously.

Ginny laughed as Jeri defended herself adamantly and Jennifer remained silent on the subject.

"So I'll take that as a yes from both of you," Ginny said. As Jeri was about to protest again, she declared the food was done.

"Alright, we'll eat first, but you're gonna get quite a talking to when I'm done," Jerica said.

They ate until they were full, and they all helped clean up. The twins could hardly reach the back of the counter next to the sink at a mere height of 4 feet, but they helped as well as they could.

Just as Jerica was standing on her toes trying to fit a pot into the sink, the fireplace whirled with green and a tall young man in a T-shirt and jeans bent down low and climbed out of the fireplace with Quiddich robes in one arm.

"_Harry_!" Jerica shrieked. She couldn't quite get to him, because her arms were still supporting the fragile pot Ginny had cooked with. Jennifer ran towards him instead, threw her arms around him, and laughed happily.

Ginny leaned against a doorway, her arms crossed, smiling slightly. Jerica finished dealing with the dishes, and she hugged Harry around the waist. After a minute of hugging, Jerica finally released Harry and looked up at him as he gasped for air.

"And you thought an evening's practice made it hard to breathe," Ginny said, laughing.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well…I didn't realize you were babysitting pythons. Maybe they'll end up in Slytherin after all."

"Uncle Harry!" Jen said, acting hurt.

"You know I didn't mean it," Harry said, smiling at her and giving her a piece of Fred and George's Safe and Fine Candies.

"Harry, I don't think any candy made by Fred and George would be safe…" Jen said.

"You're right, Jen. You'd better eat it with your mother around."

Ginny took that moment to walk fully into the room and hug Harry. He hugged her back, but Jerica broke them up after waiting a moment.

"That's long enough. No more hugging. I wanted to play with Harry!"

"Jeri, you're as restless as an insomniac. Are you sure you're getting enough sleep?" Ginny asked, peering at her from under her long bangs.

Jeri smiled and turned back to Harry. "Please?"

"Alright, we'll go before it gets too dark. I'll light a tree on fire or something so we have more light," he joked.

"Really Harry?" Jerica asked, awed.

Harry laughed, put a hand on her head, and ruffled her hair.

Jennifer watched as Harry and her sister went to play Quidditch. As soon as the door closed, Jen went to Ginny and asked to read something with her.

"Alright," Ginny answered, "but I was never good at reading textbooks, if that's what you've got in mind…"

Jen ran upstairs and got her copy of _Hogwarts, A History_. When Ginny saw it, she let out a shriek of laughter and clapped her hands joyfully.

"What is it? I didn't know you liked _Hogwarts, A History_…" Jennifer asked doubtfully.

"No, it's not that. It's just…I was just thinking you were like a very good friend of mine…"

Jennifer asked, "Hermione?"

"Yeah, you remember Hermione, don't you?" Ginny asked, smiling.

"I haven't seen her much…I don't see Ron much anymore either."

"Well sweetie, they're very busy. Ron's got work and Hermione's planning on teaching Arithmancy soon. That's a big job. I hope she can replace Professor Vector. He's nice and all, but I'd love to have Hermione at Hogwarts. If she had to go to Durmstrange..."

"Ginny," Jennifer asked, "aren't you teaching right now?"

"Yes, milady, that's right."

"So why don't you like reading textbooks?"

Ginny didn't take long to answer. "Well, I'm only the flying instructor, Jen. I don't have to give out assignments to teach First Years how to fly and watch the Quidditch matches."

"Oh, I see."

"I always loved school, Jen, but I wasn't ever fabulous at it. I never had the patience." Ginny smiled.

Remus carried Siri to the centre of the werewolf forest. Aria walked next to her husband, tired, knowing she would miss another night of sleep. The transformation always hurt too much to allow her to sleep.

They found a path near a river that was suitable for lying down. They sat in a circle, and waited for the moon to shine on them.

Jerica ran to the clearing in the forest, laughing as she fell and tumbled down a hill. Harry followed at a walk, running a hand through his hair every once in a while, laughing as Jerica rolled into a pile of dried leaves with an explosion of sticks and foliage.

After a still moment, Harry called, "Jeri?"

When no one answered, Harry slowly climbed down the hill, avoiding several steep places where he would be prone to fall. He was nearly to the pile of leaves when he slipped on a rock and twisted around to catch himself. Just when he stopped sliding, he found his feet buried in the pile of leaves.

Harry took a moment to catch his breath, and as he sat there, something within the leaves grabbed his foot.

Instinct from seven years' danger made him gasp and pull back, but he then realized that Jeri was just playing. He decided to play back.

"What was _that_?" Harry asked. The leaves quivered. "Well I'll just whip out my wand…"

Jerica sprung up from the leaves and held her arms up. Smiling.

"Wingardium Levi-"

"No, Harry! Don't!" Jerica said.

"Oh, it's just you. I thought there was a Sphynx hiding in there. I was going to float it into a tree."

Jerica laughed and held out her hand to help Harry up, but when he grabbed it to pull himself up, she couldn't help him. She pulled so hard she fell backwards into the leaves. Harry laughed, stood, and helped her up instead.

They made it to the clearing at last, took Jerica's broom out of the broom shed, a Nimbus 2000, and she kicked off.

"Harry, where's your broom?" Jerica asked, just noticing that he didn't have it with him.

"I'll summon it."

"Don't break down our door," Jerica said, worried.

"I won't," he said. "Ginny will see my broom trying to get out the door, and she'll open it for me."

When he had his broom, he kicked off the ground as well, and they threw apples at each other, Jerica taking a bite every time she got it.

After a few hours, Harry felt guilty about leaving Ginny. They went back home, where she and Jen were reading. Harry leaned down and examined the spine of the book. He read it out loud.

"Hogwarts, A History?!" he said, incredulous. "Why are you reading that?"

Ginny smiled without looking up from her book and said, "I was thinking of Hermione and Jenny here decided to read it with me."

Harry shrugged and reminded Jeri to take off her shoes.

They spent a while sitting together, reading from the book. Jeri got bored quickly, so she went into the kitchen to make them all some Jell-O, a muggle snack. Jennifer was so immersed in the book that she didn't have her share.

"It's okay," Jennifer said, waving away the food. "We'll save it for Mummy when she gets home."

Ginny sent the girls to bed and sat on the couch with Harry. They talked for a while about school and friends. They talked a lot about Ron and Hermione. They hadn't seen them in a few months. Hermione was studying and Ron was working. But they promised that they would get together every summer. And one year, they planned on spending an entire year together. Perhaps someday Ron and Hermione would buy the house next door…

Remus was human again, but he couldn't find his Aria anywhere. He could remember something that happened while he was a wolf, but he didn't know exactly _what_. He knew something was wrong and he feared the worst. Sirius was no where to be found either. Perhaps they were both dead. Maybe Siri had fallen off a cliff onto rocks and poor Aria was too grief-stricken to find her husband and tell him what had happened.

Remus suddenly panicked. He was terrified he would find his son dead. He ran through the forest, stumbling slightly, trying to retrace is steps from when he was a wolf. But it was useless. He didn't remember what he'd been doing during the full moon because he wasn't _himself_ when he was a wolf.

After hours, the sun was high in the sky and Remus's panicked state was starting to make him shake. The adrenaline that was coursing through his veins for the past three hours wasn't allowing him to feel the fatigue that he should have felt. He hadn't slept, his forehead was cold with sweat, and he was a nervous wreck.

Finally, he saw Aria lying on her side with Sirius James in her arms, a wall of rock behind her. For a moment, Remus feared he was right all along, and that they had fallen. He saw a large amount of blood, and he prayed that it was an animal's, though it was so unlikely he nearly laughed. But as he felt the first bark of laughter escape him, he felt ill.

"Aria!" he shouted, hoping that if he just called her name, she would lift her head, laugh her delicate laugh, and say she was fine. "Aria, Aria!"

He heard voices beyond his sight just to his left. He ran towards them. When he reached the people, he noticed they were muggle hunters. He stared at their gun, terrified.

One of the men's head was hanging down, and he was staring at his own feet. The other was sitting on a trunk, looking towards Remus.

"What did you do?!" Remus asked. He was being irrational, yes, but he couldn't help it.

The men looked startled. They began to explain hastily that they were attacked.

"You shot her, didn't you?" he said, though he didn't really need to ask.

"She…I thought she was a wolf!" one of them explained.

"She _was_ a wolf!"

"We were scared-"

"We shot it-"

"Shut up!"

Remus had never been so shaken. He had heard of his friends dying. He had heard of Sirius going to jail. He had seen so much. Sirius dying….but this…this was too much.

"I'm sorry, did you know her?" one man asked.

"She's my…she's," Remus couldn't finish. He felt like if he said that she _was_ his wife, she'd be dead. He was superstitious for the first time in his life.

He ran back to her, as if his presence could change things. As he reached her, he saw Sirius stir. He was alive. He wasn't hurt at all, though the right side of his face was covered in blood. Remus took little Siri in his arms and held him. There was a piece of Aria still with him.

Of course, Aria herself might still be alive. But he wouldn't entertain that thought because he was worried he might curse himself. He leaned down and examined her side, where she was shot.

"It wasn't a…normal bullet…"

Someone from Remus's left was talking. It was the man who shot her, who "thought she was a wolf".

"What do you mean?" Remus asked in a strained voice.

"It was…silver."

Remus's stomach clenched. He let out a low groan and fell to his knees onto the grass. "Nooo…nooo…"

He held onto Siri with one arm and held his dead wife in the other. He held her head against his shoulder and wouldn't move for a long time. He wasn't sure just how long he sat there, but he didn't care.

Eventually, he let go of her, set her down, and looked at her necklace. He held the pendant in his hand, rubbing his thumb across it. And as he did so, the pendant started glowing. He watched it with wide eyes as it seemed to _split_ into two necklaces. Both had the initials _JKL_ inscribed on them.

Remus remembered his son receiving his ring. But this was…different. Aria didn't get to keep her necklace. It was as if fate decided to erase her from existence by taking away her family symbol. Remus felt ill. He pocketed the necklaces that he knew were for the twins, stood up, and took a few steps away from Aria's body. Finally, he let out his intense grief and fell to the ground, lying with his head in his arms.

Harry and Ginny woke up before the twins. Remus and Aria let them use the couches to sleep on when they were gone. Harry now sat up, fixed the couch cushions, and began to cook.

Ginny woke the twins, and they ate breakfast. A heavy fog had settled in the area, though the radio told them that it was only in the area. Remus probably wouldn't know how gloomy the weather was until he got home.

As they got out a miniature Quidditch model to play with, Harry was obviously worried.

"What is it?" Jerica asked Harry.

"Remus and Aria usually don't take this long, do they?"

Jerica frowned. "No, but they'll be okay. They're always okay."

It was past noon before Jerica herself began to get fairly agitated. She started pacing back and forth near the fire place, obviously very worried.

Jennifer and Ginny were about to join Jerica in her ritualistic pacing when they heard a hard hollow knock on the front door.

Harry was to the door first, and he threw it open with such a worried look on his face that Jerica was already scared.

Her father was at the door, grief easily read on his face for the first time she'd ever seen. He held Sirius.

Jerica glanced them over, then realized that her mother was not there. Where was her mum? Where was the person who brought her up, the one she identified with as much as her twin? "Where?" was all Jerica could say, for her throat was tight.

Harry and Ginny stood together, Harry's arm wrapped around her as if he were going to lose her. He asked Remus if he wanted to tell the girls first, but Remus didn't seem to understand the question. Ginny took Sirius from him because he seemed to be holding the boy too tightly. He walked in past the four of them and sat in his big armchair with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

"Remus?" Ginny asked, tears springing up in her eyes.

Remus looked like he would cry as well. Jerica found this extremely disturbing. Her father, her foundation in life, wasn't swayed by anything. He was solid, flawless. How could something make him break down like this? It was like seeing Jenny destroy her books…for their father kept his balance through his firm belief that humanity, while flawed, was beautiful just as Jenny kept her balance through the solidity of books.

"Daddy!" Jerica yelled, running to him and hugging him around the neck. Jennifer followed suit and hugged him as well, and he hugged them back strongly enough that Jerica knew he must have thought of losing them as well, sometime during the day.

Jerica had in fact come to the conclusion that her mother was gone. She didn't need someone to scream it at her because she knew these things. Jennifer looked as if she needed more proof. Perhaps, Jerica thought, she could write it down for her later.

A laugh almost burst out of her, but it turned abruptly into a sob. Sometimes the humour of life intertwined itself with such horror and sorrow that it scared Jerica.

Sometime during this exchange, Remus told them that her mother was gone. Jennifer had cried for hours, sobbing into their father's shoulder. Jerica had admired her. Jeri respected her sister for accepting their mother's death because she herself didn't feel it yet. She looked towards the door every few hours to make sure she wasn't walking in the door.

Ginny and Harry had hugged them and left early on, unable to intrude upon family grief. Jeri had watched them go, staring but not saying anything, while Jennifer apologized for no reason.

Jerica went to bed that night without dinner, though she didn't feel hungry or tired. Jennifer asked to sleep in the living room on the couch that night, with her father in his chair. Jerica reflected that they probably felt safer that way. But she herself wanted to be alone.

She threw herself onto her bed without changing, chanting to herself, "Mum's gone, Mum's gone," but it never hit her. She would have thought that she would cry the moment she lost her dear mother. But now that she was gone, there was just an empty space that could never be filled completely again.

She thought of herself, motherless. Uncle Harry didn't have family, but Ginny did. Both of them turned out fine. That was reassuring.

_Jeri got bored quickly, so she went into the kitchen to make them all some Jell-O, a muggle snack. Jennifer was so immersed in the book that she didn't have her share._

_ "It's okay," Jennifer said, waving away the food. "We'll save it for Mummy when she gets home."_

But she had wanted her own children to have a grandmother. How was that possible now?

_Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well…I didn't realize you were babysitting pythons. Maybe they'll end up in Slytherin after all."_

_ "Uncle Harry!" Jen said, acting hurt._

_ "You know I didn't mean it," Harry said, smiling at her and giving her a piece of Fred and George's Safe and Fine Candies._

_ "Harry, I don't think any candy made by Fred and George would be safe…" Jen said._

_ "You're right, Jen. You'd better eat it with your mother around."_

Jerica started crying, not out of self-pity but because the twist of fate that ruled the world was sometimes too cruel.


	2. Chapter Two: A Family of Wolves

**Daughters of the Wolf**

****

By:  LupinTwins, a.k.a. Lorelei Lupin and Jai Lupin

A/N:  Alright, so Jai is writing this chapter as quickly as possible, trying to please her sister Lorelei.  And while she's doing this, she's trying to write the first chapter to a new fanfiction, trying to plan for the fics to come after we finish this one, a new Marauders fic, and a new chapter to her current fiction entitled A Picture's Worth 229 Words.  And she's trying to wake up early enough to get to work every day!  So forgive me for taking about a day to write this.  I think it turned out rather nicely, so please tell me if you like it!

Chapter Two:  A Family of Wolves

Little Jerica Kaimi Lupin was bored.  Her sister was colouring intently--inside the lines--and Jerica didn't have anyone else to play with.  Mum and Daddy had gone to transform.

"Jenny, wanna go to the forest and play?" Jerica finally asked.

"No, sorry, I'm colouring," Jennifer said, not taking her eyes off the picture of a large shaggy dog in the colouring book.  She placed the Exploding Blue crayon on the table and picked up a Smelly Green one instead.  Jerica noticed the crayons as the ones Cousin Fred and Cousin George had given to Jennifer on their third birthday.

"Please?  I'm _bored_, and I want to go to the forest," Jeri said, frowning at Jennifer.  Her twin was picking up a Fuzzy Pink crayon now, first colouring, then feeling where she had coloured.

"Look, Jeri, feel the pink!" Jenny said happily.  Instead of touching the picture, she walked over, bent down, put her nose right up to the green areas, and sniffed.  It smelled horribly like old eggs and mouldy bread.

"Ugh!  What is that?" Jerica said.  But just as she was about to pull her face away from the picture, the blue crayon exploded in her face.

Jennifer was doubled over with laughter, but soon regained her normal manner and started saying how sorry she was.

"If you're really sorry, come and play with me," Jerica said, smirking.

"Fine.  But you have to ask Tonks," Jennifer said.

"Fine," Jerica said, marching out of the room to the kitchen and tugging on the leg of Tonk's patched jeans.

"What is it, Jeri?" Tonks asked, stirring a bit of stew on the stove and adding a bit of broth with her wand every few moments.

"Can Jennifer and I go play outside?"

"What for?" Tonks said, obviously catching the glint in Jerica's eyes.

"I just wanted to play.  I'm bored and Jenny said that if I convinced you to let us go, she'd play with me," Jerica said with a pleading look at Tonks.

"Yes, alright, go on then.  But do _not_ go past the fence, young lady.  It's dangerous, and there aren't any protective spells past the gate."

Jerica skipped back into their play room, with a plan forming in her young mind.  "Jenny!  Tonks said that we could go play outside!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tonks had never seen a girl so outgoing at the young age of 3.  Jerica was like a younger version of Fred, George, and Sirius Black.  It was so funny to see her picking up Remus's wand and trying to turn the kettle into an owl.

And, of course, Jennifer was the calmest, most beautiful girl Tonks had ever seen.  She was smart, kind, and thoughtful, like a younger, female Remus Lupin.  Of course, both girls looked like Remus, but the one difference between the twins was their eyes.  Jennifer had Remus's kind, soft blue eyes.  Jerica had her mother's stormy, ready grey-blue ones.

And now there was the new member of the family, Sirius James Lupin.  The girls' baby brother had been born about a month ago, 8 November.  But the thing was, this boy, unlike his older sisters, was a werewolf.  Tonks remembered the hurried discussion before Remus and Aria had left for the werewolf forest to safely transform.

_"Remus!  Remus, what if he's born tonight?" Aria had asked._

_"I know what'll happen, dear, but we have to just hope it doesn't," Remus had said calmly.  Obviously, he wasn't as calm as he made it appear to be though.  Tonks had seen his eyes, and they had become cold and resolved, like ice._

_"I'll look after the twins.  Now go, just go!" Tonks had said, pushing them out the door and telling them to floo to the cabin inthe forest designated for werewolves._

_Tonks had waited for what seemed like ages.  When Remus and Aria had finally returned home, the latter of the two was holding a bundle in her arms, crying softly._

_"No, no, it can't be like this," Tonks had said, looking to Remus for an explanation._

_"Tonks, he's a werewolf," he had said, falling into an armchair and looking like death._

_"No, it's a mistake.  How do you know he'll transform every month?  Maybe this is a onetime thing," Tonks had said, sitting on the couch._

_"We know.  It's what happens when the child is born during the full moon.  He's a werewolf," Remus repeated, his face in his hands._

_"Remus, it isn't your fault, you can't have done anything--," Tonks had assured him._

Tonks shook the memories from her head and continued to make dinner.  Remus and Aria had taken little Sirius to his first true transformation tonight, and Tonks had wished them all goodluck.  Feeling sorry for Jerica and Jennifer, she had also let them play outside, something she had never let them do before.  But seeing as their new baby brother wasn't here to help them through their parents' transformations, Tonks had allowed them to leave the house, telling them to go no further than the fence.

She looked out the open window and saw the twins playing tag by the gate, and laughed as Jerica shouted, "You're it!" from across the yard.

"You didn't even touch me!  You're all the way over there!" Jennifer shouted back.

Jerica laughed and ran away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Let's go play tag in the forest," Jerica said after a long while, pointing into the trees past the gate.

"Did Tonks say we could go past the gate?" Jennifer asked, her brow furrowed.

"Yes," Jeri lied, "so, do you want to?"

"Um, isn't it dangerous past the gate?"

"Oh come _on_, it's not like it's the werewolf forest or anything!" Jerica said, impatience starting to fill her words.

"Oh al_right_," Jennifer said.

Making sure Tonks wasn't looking, Jerica led the way past the gate and into the forest.  Jennifer didn't like the idea of going past the gate, but followed reluctantly.

They walked a long way, looking at rocks, streams, and leaves, until Jennifer noticed something on the ground.

"Look at that!" Jennifer said, pointing at an eagle feather partially covered in leaves.

"What is it?" Jeri asked.

"It looks like a quill," Jenny said, picking it up.

"I know, we can bring it home and I'll give it to little Sirius!  He'll love it," Jerica said, taking the feather from Jennifer.

"Hey, I found it!  It should be from me," Jennifer said, taking it back.

"It was my idea!  Plus, I brought you to the forest!"

"You wouldn't be in the forest if it weren't for me!  Remember?  I agreed to play with you!"

Jerica let out a muffled scream and leaped at her twin, doing something that scared Jennifer greatly.  Mid-jump, Jerica turned into a black wolf pup, pouncing on her little sister and scratching the younger twin's face.  In defence, unknowingly, Jennifer turned into a wolf as well--although pure white instead of black--and they fought each other for a long time before changing back and saying sorry.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After about an hour, dinner was completely ready, and the table was set.  Tonks was so busy cooking, however, that she didn't realize the twins were missing.  When everything was finished, she opened the back door and looked around for the 3 year olds.  It surprised her when the twins weren't there.

Panicking, Tonks ran to the gate and shouted the names of the girls.  Eventually, she ran into the forest, following a deer trail and calling them through ragged breaths.

When she got to a clearing, Tonks found them.  They were covered in scratches, and sitting on the floor, catching their breath.  Tonks decided to join them, sitting down and looking at one, then the other.

It was nearly dark, seeing as the sun had just set, "_Lumos,_!" Tonks exclaimed, creating light with her wand.

"What were you _thinking_, girls?  I _told_ you not to come in here!"

At these words, Jennifer gave Jerica a very annoyed and startled look and turned back to Tonks.

"Well, Jeri told me you said we could come here."

Tonks looked at Jerica, ready to tell her off, but found that her voice had betrayed her.  Instead, she asked, "Why are you two so scratched up?"

"We were just...well we decided to climb trees, but we both fell out and landed in a bunch of thorns," Jerica lied.  She felt that it wasn't a good time to tell Tonks that they had been arguing, let alone tell her that they had turned into a couple of angry wolves.

"You two are going to be in so much trouble.  As soon as you've had dinner, both of you are going to bed right away," Tonks said, too relieved to be angry.  She smiled at them, picked up Jennifer, held Jerica's hand, and walked back to the house.  She didn't even see the eagle feather clasped in Jennifer's fist.

Once they got inside, Tonks sealed the cut on Jennifer's face, and spread an anti-scaring potion that she kept in hand for her own lack of grace, over the gash.

Jerica had already began eating ravenously and by the time that Tonks had finished taking care of Jennifer's wound, the elder twin was finished eating.  "Thank you, Tonks, I'm sorry about disobeying you," she said, with only a hint of guilt to her voice.

"Get ready for bed," Tonks said with a sigh, starting to feel guilty about punishing them at all.

Jennifer ate more slowly, rather, barely touched her food and just played with it instead.  "I'm sorry, I didn't know," Jennifer said after a while, putting down the spoon.

"I know," Tonks answered.  "Are you sure you're done?" she asked, looking at the barely-touched soup.  "Does it taste all right?"

"Yeah, it's good.  I'm just not too hungry," Jenny answered, standing up and heading up the stairs.

"Goodnight," Tonks called after her.

"Goodnight," Jenny softly answered back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I am so sorry, Sirius James," Remus was saying, putting the sleeping boy in his cradle.  "You don't deserve this.  You, of all people, shouldn't have this curse."

Remus's eyes focused on his wedding ring, which was replicated from Aria's father's.  It was some sort of family tradition for the men in a family to have rings and the women to have necklaces that were passed down from person to person.  Remus had gotten his ring after Aria had accepted his marriage proposal.  Her father had welcomed him into the family, and had given a toast, but instead of raising water glasses, her father had his hands rolled up into a fist, and held out high.  The hand had glowed faintly, and when he opened it, a ring with his initials had appeared in the previously empty hand.  Aria had taken the ring from her father's hand, and slid it onto his left ring finger.  Children always got their rings and lockets from their parents, but not always at the same time, rather at an important time in the child's life involving the parent of the same sex.  Remus was still waiting for the day when his three children would get their necklaces and ring.

Well, not exactly.  He was still waiting for the day when the _twins_ would get their necklaces.  For the day when little Sirius got his ring was staring him in the face.

After gazing at his left hand for a while, after staring at the initials "R.J." on his ring, Remus took the baby's left hand in his own.  Something happened when he did just that, however.  His ring changed.  A faint glow was coming from it, and Remus watched as the one ring made itself _two rings_.  One slipped off his finger and fell into the baby's open hand.  Remus saw the initials "S.J." engraved there.

Dropping his hand by his side, Remus stared at what had just happened.  Then, taking the tiny ring from the little boy's hand, Remus slid it onto the baby's finger.

After gazing at Sirius James, who was named after his two best friends, for a long time, Remus tore from the room, turned a sharp corner, burst into his bedroom, and took the hands of Aria into his own.  Leading her to the bed, he told her what had happened.

"Wait, so Siri has his ring?"

"Yes, my ring just sort of...split into two!  And the second ring shrunk and fell into Sirius's hand!"

"Can--can I see?"

Remus laughed.  Of _course_ she could see.  He pulled her out of the room, and--with the most energy he'd ever had after a transformation, ran into the nursery.

Trying to stay quiet out of respect for the sleeping boy, Remus showed a tearful Aria the new ring.

After a long, cheerful moment of silence, they went to the living room to say good morning--or goodnight--to Tonks.  She was lying on the couch, her eyes closed, but obviously awake, for she sat up when they entered the room.

"Everything settled?" Tonks asked, smiling at the couple.

"Yes.  The twins weren't much trouble, were they?"

"Not at all.  They're just _full_ of energy though, aren't they?"

"Yeah, well I think they get that from their mother," said Remus sitting down in a chair.

"I'd better get home and get a bit of rest.  I'll see you two later!" Tonks said, changing her messy purple hair to a very vibrant orange and showing herself out.

A/N:  *Dies* okay, so that was a bit longer than the last chapter.  You're welcome Lorelei!  I think I'll be able to use my hands in a few hours.  This wasn't too hard, but with all those other fics...yeah, it's a bit of work.  Okay, so we have a lot more of Jerica and Jennifer coming up.  In fact, we've already planned their entire first year, and we're ready to write it as soon as we finish this fic.  So R/R please.

Lorelei:  I'm sleeping over at a friend's house, and it's five in the morning, and yeah…  Jai finished this part a bit earlier, and I edited/added stuff, so yeah.  I am tired, I've been getting up early to babysit and crap, and staying up late to write, which isn't very nice.


	3. Chapter Three: An Untimely Tragedy

Disclaimer:  If you think Harry Potter and Co. are ours, I can assure you that they aren't

A/N:  Hey, it's Jai.  Well, after my twin spent about a year trying to get me to write this, and after I finally made room in my undoubtably busy schedule (with work and all), I've written this...

**Undeniable Oddities**

****

"Here you are, Aria.  Go and play in the den while your father and I discuss a few things."

Aria took her Wizard Chess set from her mother and walked down the few steps into the den.  Gelasia was there, sitting at the desk with a quill in her hands, looking unsure of what to write.  Aria just looked bored.

"What are you writing, Gelasia?"  She asked.

Gelasia didn't seem surprised to see her sister when she looked up.  "I dunno.  I'm bored.  I was thinking of writing...something..."

"That bored?"  Aria laughed.  "I suppose writing's better than nothing.  Want to play me in Wizards' Chess?"  She looked hopeful.

"Sure."  As Gelasia put down her quill, a necklace glittered around her neck.  On it was engraved "GRC".

Aria sighed longingly at the chain.  "When will I get mine?  It's not fair..."

"Your time will come, Aria.  The necklace chooses when you get to wear it."  Gelasia stood up and walked gracefully to the tiger oak table.  She sat down, and Aria sat on the other side.

A mumbling noise from up the steps of the den drew Gelasia's attention.

"What's going on up there?" Gelasia asked with a frown.

Aria was just about to answer when her father did for her.

"What do you _mean_?  I thought we had a deal about this?!  They're both going to the top private school for normal people!" they heard from the other room.

"Honey, you said you would let them go to Hogwarts!  And keep your voice down!"

"Keep _my_ voice down?"

By the look of Gelasia's face, anyone would be able to tell that their parents _rarely_ fought.  It was a startled and hurt look.

"Why do they fight about such things?  Why can they not just ask us where we want to go?" Gelasia asked, looking angry.

"Well, I'd choose Hogwarts.  And besides, we have magical blood.  Daddy can't keep us from going.  I expect the headmaster will send a Howler to set him straight or something."

The scene faded.  Like a piece of parchment being torn apart by invisible hands, the scene fell away, broken.  A new one replaced it.

Aria was older now.  She was lying on her bed, writing with a blue quill on yellowed parchment, humming a beautiful melody.

A knock sounded on the door, and Aria sang quietly as she lay doodling on her bed, "Come in," in the tune she had been humming.

Her mother came in, sat down on the bed beside Aria, and began stroking her shining hair.

"Guten Abend, Aria.  Das ist ein gut Schriebtisch," she said sarcastically, indicating the bed.  Then she added,  "Was ist das?" pointing to the parchment that Aria was scribbling on.  She was playing a game that Aria usually followed, speaking German together.

"It's nothing," Aria replied, obviously in English.  "Mum, I don't want to speak German right now."

By the look on her face, Mrs. Celine, Aria's mother, was surprised.

"What's wrong?" she asked, "Why are you so sad?"

"I don't know...why don't I have my necklace yet?"

Aria's mother smiled and said, "That, my dear, is not my knowlege.  But I do know that you will get it when the time is good and right."

Aria reached out for her mother's hand, took it, and laughed.  There was something in the air that seemed to make the meeting funny.

"Mum, I _want_ to be a witch.  And I'll be top in my year, you'll see.  I want to get a wand and do magnificent things with it just like you do," she said.  Then she repeated, "I want to be a witch."

Suddenly, Aria's mother's necklace unclasped on it's own.  It fell from her neck with grace and fell over their joined hands.  As she watched, Aria knew that magic was at work.  The two unclasped their hands and cupped them, so the necklace was lying upon both their palms.  A glow emitted from it.  The necklace was one, and then it became two.  Aria cheered at once.

"My _necklace_!"  Aria cried.  "My beautiful, wonderful, _necklace_!  Look mother!  In my hand!"  She picked it up between finger and thumb and read the initials, "AMC."

"Oh Aria!"  Her mother cried, hugging Aria tightly.

The scene faded.  The image broke apart, and a new one replaced it again.

Aria was outside on a cold night, walking on a cobbled road and humming.  She slowly added words to her song.  She looked as if she was thinking of lyrics to add, inventing them as they came into her head.

"A new light, a cold light, a ray of sun, a star...I know who this person is...he comes from afar...And though I can't see him, I know he is there...A boy with ocean eyes and wheat-coloured hair."

She grinned at her own words and spoke to herself.  "You know, Aria, for learning that melody from your Mum, you can really add something to it."

She spoke back to herself, "How dare you, Aria!  I made up those words to emphasize my mum's song, not enhance it!"  She laughed, and said to herself, "Nothing could improve my mother's melody...not even a song about a bunch of light and a boy I don't know."

This time, she did not reply to herself, but stayed silent.  After a minute of walking towards home, she started humming again.

The full moon seemed  to draw her eye more than necessary, and Aria seemed confused by it.  She hastened her pace, still humming.

"A large moon, a cold moon, a beam of light, a star...I hear something coming, though not from afar...And though I can't see him, I know he is there...A something, a something, an overcoming stare," she sang quietly.  She began to run.  Her home was still several houses away.

Claws sounded behind her, but she didn't dare look back.  If she slowed while looking over her shoulder, she might be caught.  She fixed her eyes at her home, where the moon loomed over it, miles above, but seemingly close.

She ran only ten more metres before she felt an enormous weight fall upon her shoulders.  She screamed, fell, and rolled away from her attacker.  Struggling to stand, she started to run again, aware of pain in her back.  A fear of paralysis came over her, and she hastened to reach her home.  If a blow to the spinal chord rendered her paralized, she would spend weeks in St. Mungos...and possibly her entire life.

She was one hundred meters from her front door when she felt a claw sink into her back, just below her shoulder blade.  She cried out and fell, feeling blood run down her raw arms and pierced back.  Rising once more, she made to run.  But before she steadied herself, she felt jaws clamp down on her right leg, into her calf.  She fell again.

Pain stronger than should be allowed was flowing through her.  "_Ow_, _ow_," Aria cried.  She did not give up through the pain.  She kicked out, heard a yelp, and struggled to her feet.  Running, she heard her attacker follow at a run.

When she reached her house, she cut through the manicured lawn, hit the door, and wrenched at the knob.  The wolvish attacker was only a few meters away when she threw open the door and slammed it behind her.

With a quick glance, she found her mother in the library, reading.  Mrs. Celine looked up at the door, saw her daughter's face, and stood.  "What do I do?" was all she asked.

"Charm the windows and the door!"  Aria said, trying to control the volume of her voice.

A large crack was heard as the door shuddered.  _It_ was trying to enter her home.

Aria and her mother went from window to window.  Aria closed the shudders, and her mother charmed them so they were unbreakable.  A wolf could now be heard clawing at the door.

"What happened?" Mrs. Celine asked.

"A werewolf," Aria said, and she leaned against the wall, sliding to the carpet, allowing tears to fall.

The scene changed.  A new one appeared.

A castle loomed over a large, blue-green lake.  This place seemed much happier than the previous scene.  Aria stood at the train window, transfixed by the enormous castle.

"Hogwarts," she whispered.  Now it became clear that the castle was Hogwarts School.  The train slowed, and students began to gather their things.  When it stopped, Aria left the Hogwarts Express in a hurry, jumping from the train, and finding a man yelling, "Firs' years this way!  Over here, firs' years!  Got ter go ter the castle now!"

The man seemed _too_ large, but Aria thought he was fitting.  He seemed very much like the castle...large, mysterious, and welcoming.

The first years gathered around him, looking around anxiously.  Aria felt braver than she ever had been.

When the students crossed the lake, the air seemed to fill with whispers.  Aria, who was sitting next to the large man, asked--not in a whisper, but in normal tones--"What's your name, sir?"

The man looked startled when she called him "sir", but recovered quickly and answered, "Name's Hagrid.  What's yers?"

"Aria Celine.  Nice to meet you, Hagrid."

"Nice ter meet yeh too, Aria."

They floated along in silence for a moment, and then the boats stopped with a thud.  They had reached shore.

The scene faded, but was replaced extremely quickly.  Outside, the moon was the same--as were the stars.  It was the same night.

"Wow, a Gryffindor.  I can't _believe_ I made Gryffindor," Aria said, looking around the common room.

Laughing, a boy nearby turned.  "Newbie, are you?"

Aria looked the boy up and down.  He looked about fourteen, with long, neat, black hair.

Aria laughed.  "I'm Aria.  What's your name?"

"Sirius Black.  Nice to meet you."

Aria _felt_ brave.  She wouldn't normally have started talking to older students, but she felt so daring.  "And who're your friends?"

"This," Sirius said, turning to a messy-haired boy with glasses, "is James Potter.  And this one to my right--your left--is Remus Lupin."

Remus didn't say anything, even to a younger student.  He looked almost afraid of meeting people.  James, however, said, "And how do you like the Gryffindors?"

"They're just fine.  Better than Slytherins.  Anyway, I'd better get going.  I have Charms and Transfiguration tomorrow."

Aria left to go to her Dormitory.  She didn't think that she could be fast friends with that lot.  Something told her to stick with the younger students for a while.  Sirius and James, although decent enough, seemed to have a tight-knit bond.  And Aria felt it was something she shouldn't interfere with.  She didn't know _what_ to think about Remus Lupin.  He was very quiet.

The scene faded, and this time, years passed.  Aria was an older teenager.

"Another year gone.  I suppose that means farewell to our seventh years.  However, it is never really goodbye--"

Aria sighed.  She always disliked end of year speeches.  Although they were plenty interesting, she didn't like the sadness that punctured every word.

"--Should all wish the seventh years goodluck in the--"

_Seventh years_.  Aria was of age.  She was attending her last feast before graduating...She was no longer worthy of the term "Hogwarts student".  She was a fully educated witch.  Her dream had come true.  Yet, she wasn't too cheerful.

"--And though we do not lose our seventh years, we always gain new souls on September 1st--"

New students would arrive at this school in a few months, ready for their educations.  And Aria would not come back.

She glanced down the table.  There were her friends, Delicia and Lennon.  The first people she met in Gryffindor House, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Remus Lupin, were long gone.  They had graduated three years ago.  Two of their friends, whom she had met later on, had left with them.  Peter Pettigrew and Lily Evans.  She didn't know what happened to them.  With the war, most graduates didn't keep in touch with anyone besides their closest friends and family.  And Aria never was their closest friend.

"--The time for futures lay ahead, as the past is now behind us.  Let us raise our glasses and drink to the year--"

Aria did what she was told, looking up at the red and gold banners.  While at Hogwarts, Gryffindor had won the House Cup four times.  She had cheered when she heard the winner was Gryffindor, but now the banners seemed to be calling her home.  But Gryffindor was her home only one more night.

The scene faded.

Aria was dressed in all white, a veil over her face.

"I can't do it, I can't!" Aria whispered hurriedly to her father, at her arm.

"You can call it off if you want," he replied.

"No, I love him.  But...but this is so hurried!"

"We're about to walk down the aisle.  I'm about to give you to him.  Do you want to--"

"What am I thinking?!" Aria interupted.

"Well--"

Aria cut him off again, "Wait.  This isn't very...very Gryffindor of me.  I'm brave, I can marry him.  I love him."

And so they walked.  It happened so quickly, Aria nearly tripped.  They were running down the aisle, it felt, towards Remus.

Her fear was wiped from her mind when she saw the love in her soon-to-be husband's cool blue eyes.  They _loved_ each other.

They stood hand in hand, staring through the veil.

The scene faded, and this time nothing came back.

Jerica Kaimi Lupin sat up with a jolt of panic, wondering what was going on.

She saw, out of the corner of her eye, her sister sit straight up in her bed as well.  Jennifer looked over at Jerica, but Jerica didn't make eye-contact.  She had so many images that raced in front of her eyes, though she was now fully awake.

The way her sister had awoken as well scared Jeri.  It was too eerie that they both woke at the same time, in the same way.

"What the--" Jeri said, trying to voice her confusion.

"_Don't_ finish that sentence," Jen warned.

"I wasn't going to," Jeri said.  She wasn't in the mood for an argument.  She turned towards her sister.  "I had the strangest dream about Mum.  At first, I dreamt about her and Aunt Gelasia when they were kids, and then it _changed_, and I had a dream about when Mummy got her necklace.  And then it sort of...broke apart again.  And a new dream replaced it about the night when...when..."

"When Mum was attacked." Jennifer said quietly, finishing her thought.

"_Yeah_, how did you _know_?" Jeri asked.

"Because I had the same dreams...did you dream about her first time seeing Hogwarts next?  And then just after she was Sorted?  And...and her graduation?"

"_Yes_.  And then Mum and Dad's wedding!"

"Exactly."

"Right."

"Let's go--"

"--tell Dad."

They both ran flat out.  They tore from the room, slid down the stairs, and entered the kitchen.  The smell of coffee filled the air.

"Girls, what the--"

"_Everyone_ is saying that this morning," Jennifer said.

"Saying what?" Remus asked, puzzled.

"'What the'," Jerica answered.  "Dad, we had this thing..."

"It's called a dream, Jeri."

Ignoring her, Jeri continued, "And we saw Mum throughout her life.  We _both_ saw all these things about how she got her necklace and the first time she met you...and all sorts of weird freaky stuff--"

"Wait, what?" Remus asked, still perplexed.

"Sit down Dad.  And get some more coffee," Jennifer said.

"I've already got a cup," Remus said.

"You'll need a bit more Dad.  You need to be awake for this."

They sat down, and Jennifer explained.

"Dad, we both had these dreams.  The same dreams.  And...the first one was about Mum and her sister...Aunt Gelasia.  Then the dream sort of changed.  It turned into the night Mum got her necklace.  And then..."

Jennifer froze up, and Jerica knew why.  It was hard to talk about when your mother got attacked by a werewolf in the dead of night.

Jerica finished the sentence for her.  "And then, Mum got attacked by the werewolf that bit her," she said, trying to sound indifferent.

"Yes," said Jennifer faintly.  "And then it got better.  We saw her on the Hogwarts Express when she was a first year.  We saw her during her first night in the castle.  We saw her _meet_ you!  And then we saw her graduate...she wasn't too happy about that.  And then we saw your wedding."

Remus smiled slightly.  He still looked very puzzled as to how the twins could _both_ have dreamed this.  But then he asked, "Did you like the wedding?"

"Oh, it was so beautiful!  Mum was so scared, but when she saw you, she looked so brave, like a G-Gryffindor!" Jeri said.  Her eyes were full of tears, but she dared not let them spill.

Jennifer said, "And you, Daddy, when you were fourteen!  You were so young looking!"

Remus laughed.  "Ha, you think that was young?  My hair was graying already!  I looked older than the seventh years--although I was much thinner and shorter," he added as an afterthought.

Jeri remembered her father's silver-brown coloured hair, and laughed.  Her father was being very melodramatic about his age.  To be fair, Remus Lupin was still young, even with two daughters and a son.

Jennifer continued, "And we saw so much and--"

They kept talking for the better half of the day, only saddening when they spoke of the night Aria was bitten.  They had a lovely morning, full of both cheerful and sad tears.  The dreams, though still mysterious, seemed such a blessing.  They pulled the family together.  And, looking back at it, Jerica could only think of one phrase that could explain the weirdness of it all.  Undeniable oddities.

A/N:  That was a _lot_ of work on Jai's behalf.  Of course, Lorelei helped.  She always helps.  When I, Jai, don't know something, Lorelei knows.  I hope you liked it.  Not much of a cliffhanger, but enough I suppose.  I _believe_ this ends the Daughters of the Wolf story...nope, there's one more chapter, sorry.  It'll be written by both of us.  So, for those of you that are tired of my writing style, you get a taste of Lorelei's words next chapter.  Now, Year 1 for Jennifer and Jerica will start soon.  Lorelei has already started it, and we'll get this back up and rolling.  Winter Holidays are a _blessing_.  Okay, so thanks a lot.  See ya 'round.  ---Jai

Oh, and one more thing.  I keep writing from Jerica's point of view, but we have some good Jennifer POV moments coming.  You'll see.

This practically _is _my writing style, I guess that's why we work well together, right?--Lorelei


	4. Chapter Four: Undeniable Oddities

Disclaimer: If you think Harry Potter and Co. are ours, I can assure you that they aren't

**Chapter Four: Undeniable Oddities**

****

"Here you are, Aria. Go and play in the den while your father and I discuss a few things."

Aria took her Wizard Chess set from her mother and walked down the few steps into the den. Gelasia was there, sitting at the desk with a quill in her hands, looking unsure of what to write. Aria just looked bored.

"What are you writing, Gelasia?" She asked.

Gelasia didn't seem surprised to see her sister when she looked up. "I dunno. I'm bored. I was thinking of writing...something..."

"That bored?" Aria laughed. "I suppose writing's better than nothing. Want to play me in Wizards' Chess?" She looked hopeful.

"Sure." As Gelasia put down her quill, a necklace glittered around her neck. On it was engraved "GRC".

Aria sighed longingly at the chain. "When will I get mine? It's not fair..."

"Your time will come, Aria. The necklace chooses when you get to wear it." Gelasia stood up and walked gracefully to the tiger oak table. She sat down, and Aria sat on the other side.

A mumbling noise from up the steps of the den drew Gelasia's attention.

"What's going on up there?" Gelasia asked with a frown.

Aria was just about to answer when her father did for her.

"What do you _mean_? I thought we had a deal about this?! They're both going to the top private school for normal people!" they heard from the other room.

"Honey, you said you would let them go to Hogwarts! And keep your voice down!"

"Keep _my_ voice down?"

By the look of Gelasia's face, anyone would be able to tell that their parents _rarely_ fought. It was a startled and hurt look.

"Why do they fight about such things? Why can they not just ask us where we want to go?" Gelasia asked, looking angry.

"Well, I'd choose Hogwarts. And besides, we have magical blood. Daddy can't keep us from going. I expect the headmaster will send a Howler to set him straight or something."

The scene faded. Like a piece of parchment being torn apart by invisible hands, the scene fell away, broken. A new one replaced it.

Aria was older now. She was lying on her bed, writing with a blue quill on yellowed parchment, humming a beautiful melody.

A knock sounded on the door, and Aria sang quietly as she lay doodling on her bed, "Come in," in the tune she had been humming.

Her mother came in, sat down on the bed beside Aria, and began stroking her shining hair.

"Guten Abend, Aria. Das ist ein gut Schriebtisch," she said sarcastically, indicating the bed. Then she added, "Was ist das?" pointing to the parchment that Aria was scribbling on. She was playing a game that Aria usually followed, speaking German together.

"It's nothing," Aria replied, obviously in English. "Mum, I don't want to speak German right now."

By the look on her face, Mrs. Celine, Aria's mother, was surprised.

"What's wrong?" she asked, "Why are you so sad?"

"I don't know...why don't I have my necklace yet?"

Aria's mother smiled and said, "That, my dear, is not my knowlege. But I do know that you will get it when the time is good and right."

Aria reached out for her mother's hand, took it, and laughed. There was something in the air that seemed to make the meeting funny.

"Mum, I _want_ to be a witch. And I'll be top in my year, you'll see. I want to get a wand and do magnificent things with it just like you do," she said. Then she repeated, "I want to be a witch."

Suddenly, Aria's mother's necklace unclasped on it's own. It fell from her neck with grace and fell over their joined hands. As she watched, Aria knew that magic was at work. The two unclasped their hands and cupped them, so the necklace was lying upon both their palms. A glow emitted from it. The necklace was one, and then it became two. Aria cheered at once.

"My _necklace_!" Aria cried. "My beautiful, wonderful, _necklace_! Look mother! In my hand!" She picked it up between finger and thumb and read the initials, "AMC."

"Oh Aria!" Her mother cried, hugging Aria tightly.

The scene faded. The image broke apart, and a new one replaced it again.

Aria was outside on a cold night, walking on a cobbled road and humming. She slowly added words to her song. She looked as if she was thinking of lyrics to add, inventing them as they came into her head.

"A new light, a cold light, a ray of sun, a star...I know who this person is...he comes from afar...And though I can't see him, I know he is there...A boy with ocean eyes and wheat-coloured hair."

She grinned at her own words and spoke to herself. "You know, Aria, for learning that melody from your Mum, you can really add something to it."

She spoke back to herself, "How dare you, Aria! I made up those words to emphasize my mum's song, not enhance it!" She laughed, and said to herself, "Nothing could improve my mother's melody...not even a song about a bunch of light and a boy I don't know."

This time, she did not reply to herself, but stayed silent. After a minute of walking towards home, she started humming again.

The full moon seemed to draw her eye more than necessary, and Aria seemed confused by it. She hastened her pace, still humming.

"A large moon, a cold moon, a beam of light, a star...I hear something coming, though not from afar...And though I can't see him, I know he is there...A something, a something, an overcoming stare," she sang quietly. She began to run. Her home was still several houses away.

Claws sounded behind her, but she didn't dare look back. If she slowed while looking over her shoulder, she might be caught. She fixed her eyes at her home, where the moon loomed over it, miles above, but seemingly close.

She ran only ten more metres before she felt an enormous weight fall upon her shoulders. She screamed, fell, and rolled away from her attacker. Struggling to stand, she started to run again, aware of pain in her back. A fear of paralysis came over her, and she hastened to reach her home. If a blow to the spinal chord rendered her paralized, she would spend weeks in St. Mungos...and possibly her entire life.

She was one hundred meters from her front door when she felt a claw sink into her back, just below her shoulder blade. She cried out and fell, feeling blood run down her raw arms and pierced back. Rising once more, she made to run. But before she steadied herself, she felt jaws clamp down on her right leg, into her calf. She fell again.

Pain stronger than should be allowed was flowing through her. "_Ow_, _ow_," Aria cried. She did not give up through the pain. She kicked out, heard a yelp, and struggled to her feet. Running, she heard her attacker follow at a run.

When she reached her house, she cut through the manicured lawn, hit the door, and wrenched at the knob. The wolvish attacker was only a few meters away when she threw open the door and slammed it behind her.

With a quick glance, she found her mother in the library, reading. Mrs. Celine looked up at the door, saw her daughter's face, and stood. "What do I do?" was all she asked.

"Charm the windows and the door!" Aria said, trying to control the volume of her voice.

A large crack was heard as the door shuddered. _It_ was trying to enter her home.

Aria and her mother went from window to window. Aria closed the shudders, and her mother charmed them so they were unbreakable. A wolf could now be heard clawing at the door.

"What happened?" Mrs. Celine asked.

"A werewolf," Aria said, and she leaned against the wall, sliding to the carpet, allowing tears to fall.

The scene changed. A new one appeared.

A castle loomed over a large, blue-green lake. This place seemed much happier than the previous scene. Aria stood at the train window, transfixed by the enormous castle.

"Hogwarts," she whispered. Now it became clear that the castle was Hogwarts School. The train slowed, and students began to gather their things. When it stopped, Aria left the Hogwarts Express in a hurry, jumping from the train, and finding a man yelling, "Firs' years this way! Over here, firs' years! Got ter go ter the castle now!"

The man seemed _too_ large, but Aria thought he was fitting. He seemed very much like the castle...large, mysterious, and welcoming.

The first years gathered around him, looking around anxiously. Aria felt braver than she ever had been.

When the students crossed the lake, the air seemed to fill with whispers. Aria, who was sitting next to the large man, asked--not in a whisper, but in normal tones--"What's your name, sir?"

The man looked startled when she called him "sir", but recovered quickly and answered, "Name's Hagrid. What's yers?"

"Aria Celine. Nice to meet you, Hagrid."

"Nice ter meet yeh too, Aria."

They floated along in silence for a moment, and then the boats stopped with a thud. They had reached shore.

The scene faded, but was replaced extremely quickly. Outside, the moon was the same--as were the stars. It was the same night.

"Wow, a Gryffindor. I can't _believe_ I made Gryffindor," Aria said, looking around the common room.

Laughing, a boy nearby turned. "Newbie, are you?"

Aria looked the boy up and down. He looked about fourteen, with long, neat, black hair.

Aria laughed. "I'm Aria. What's your name?"

"Sirius Black. Nice to meet you."

Aria _felt_ brave. She wouldn't normally have started talking to older students, but she felt so daring. "And who're your friends?"

"This," Sirius said, turning to a messy-haired boy with glasses, "is James Potter. And this one to my right--your left--is Remus Lupin."

Remus didn't say anything, even to a younger student. He looked almost afraid of meeting people. James, however, said, "And how do you like the Gryffindors?"

"They're just fine. Better than Slytherins. Anyway, I'd better get going. I have Charms and Transfiguration tomorrow."

Aria left to go to her Dormitory. She didn't think that she could be fast friends with that lot. Something told her to stick with the younger students for a while. Sirius and James, although decent enough, seemed to have a tight-knit bond. And Aria felt it was something she shouldn't interfere with. She didn't know _what_ to think about Remus Lupin. He was very quiet.

The scene faded, and this time, years passed. Aria was an older teenager.

"Another year gone. I suppose that means farewell to our seventh years. However, it is never really goodbye--"

Aria sighed. She always disliked end of year speeches. Although they were plenty interesting, she didn't like the sadness that punctured every word.

"--Should all wish the seventh years goodluck in the--"

_Seventh years_. Aria was of age. She was attending her last feast before graduating...She was no longer worthy of the term "Hogwarts student". She was a fully educated witch. Her dream had come true. Yet, she wasn't too cheerful.

"--And though we do not lose our seventh years, we always gain new souls on September 1st--"

New students would arrive at this school in a few months, ready for their educations. And Aria would not come back.

She glanced down the table. There were her friends, Delicia and Lennon. The first people she met in Gryffindor House, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Remus Lupin, were long gone. They had graduated three years ago. Two of their friends, whom she had met later on, had left with them. Peter Pettigrew and Lily Evans. She didn't know what happened to them. With the war, most graduates didn't keep in touch with anyone besides their closest friends and family. And Aria never was their closest friend.

"--The time for futures lay ahead, as the past is now behind us. Let us raise our glasses and drink to the year--"

Aria did what she was told, looking up at the red and gold banners. While at Hogwarts, Gryffindor had won the House Cup four times. She had cheered when she heard the winner was Gryffindor, but now the banners seemed to be calling her home. But Gryffindor was her home only one more night.

The scene faded.

Aria was dressed in all white, a veil over her face.

"I can't do it, I can't!" Aria whispered hurriedly to her father, at her arm.

"You can call it off if you want," he replied.

"No, I love him. But...but this is so hurried!"

"We're about to walk down the aisle. I'm about to give you to him. Do you want to--"

"What am I thinking?!" Aria interupted.

"Well--"

Aria cut him off again, "Wait. This isn't very...very Gryffindor of me. I'm brave, I can marry him. I love him."

And so they walked. It happened so quickly, Aria nearly tripped. They were running down the aisle, it felt, towards Remus.

Her fear was wiped from her mind when she saw the love in her soon-to-be husband's cool blue eyes. They _loved_ each other.

They stood hand in hand, staring through the veil.

The scene faded, and this time nothing came back.

Jerica Kaimi Lupin sat up with a jolt of panic, wondering what was going on.

She saw, out of the corner of her eye, her sister sit straight up in her bed as well. Jennifer looked over at Jerica, but Jerica didn't make eye-contact. She had so many images that raced in front of her eyes, though she was now fully awake.

The way her sister had awoken as well scared Jeri. It was too eerie that they both woke at the same time, in the same way.

"What the--" Jeri said, trying to voice her confusion.

"_Don't_ finish that sentence," Jen warned.

"I wasn't going to," Jeri said. She wasn't in the mood for an argument. She turned towards her sister. "I had the strangest dream about Mum. At first, I dreamt about her and Aunt Gelasia when they were kids, and then it _changed_, and I had a dream about when Mummy got her necklace. And then it sort of...broke apart again. And a new dream replaced it about the night when...when..."

"When Mum was attacked." Jennifer said quietly, finishing her thought.

"_Yeah_, how did you _know_?" Jeri asked.

"Because I had the same dreams...did you dream about her first time seeing Hogwarts next? And then just after she was Sorted? And...and her graduation?"

"_Yes_. And then Mum and Dad's wedding!"

"Exactly."

"Right."

"Let's go--"

"--tell Dad."

They both ran flat out. They tore from the room, slid down the stairs, and entered the kitchen. The smell of coffee filled the air.

"Girls, what the--"

"_Everyone_ is saying that this morning," Jennifer said.

"Saying what?" Remus asked, puzzled.

"'What the'," Jerica answered. "Dad, we had this thing..."

"It's called a dream, Jeri."

Ignoring her, Jeri continued, "And we saw Mum throughout her life. We _both_ saw all these things about how she got her necklace and the first time she met you...and all sorts of weird freaky stuff--"

"Wait, what?" Remus asked, still perplexed.

"Sit down Dad. And get some more coffee," Jennifer said.

"I've already got a cup," Remus said.

"You'll need a bit more Dad. You need to be awake for this."

They sat down, and Jennifer explained.

"Dad, we both had these dreams. The same dreams. And...the first one was about Mum and her sister...Aunt Gelasia. Then the dream sort of changed. It turned into the night Mum got her necklace. And then..."

Jennifer froze up, and Jerica knew why. It was hard to talk about when your mother got attacked by a werewolf in the dead of night.

Jerica finished the sentence for her. "And then, Mum got attacked by the werewolf that bit her," she said, trying to sound indifferent.

"Yes," said Jennifer faintly. "And then it got better. We saw her on the Hogwarts Express when she was a first year. We saw her during her first night in the castle. We saw her _meet_ you! And then we saw her graduate...she wasn't too happy about that. And then we saw your wedding."

Remus smiled slightly. He still looked very puzzled as to how the twins could _both_ have dreamed this. But then he asked, "Did you like the wedding?"

"Oh, it was so beautiful! Mum was so scared, but when she saw you, she looked so brave, like a G-Gryffindor!" Jeri said. Her eyes were full of tears, but she dared not let them spill.

Jennifer said, "And you, Daddy, when you were fourteen! You were so young looking!"

Remus laughed. "Ha, you think that was young? My hair was graying already! I looked older than the seventh years--although I was much thinner and shorter," he added as an afterthought.

Jeri remembered her father's silver-brown coloured hair, and laughed. Her father was being very melodramatic about his age. To be fair, Remus Lupin was still young, even with two daughters and a son.

Jennifer continued, "And we saw so much and--"

They kept talking for the better half of the day, only saddening when they spoke of the night Aria was bitten. They had a lovely morning, full of both cheerful and sad tears. The dreams, though still mysterious, seemed such a blessing. They pulled the family together. And, looking back at it, Jerica could only think of one phrase that could explain the weirdness of it all. Undeniable oddities.

A/N: That was a _lot_ of work on Jai's behalf. Of course, Lorelei helped. She always helps. When I, Jai, don't know something, Lorelei knows. I hope you liked it. Not much of a cliffhanger, but enough I suppose. I _believe_ this ends the Daughters of the Wolf story...nope, there's one more chapter, sorry. It'll be written by both of us. So, for those of you that are tired of my writing style, you get a taste of Lorelei's words next chapter. Now, Year 1 for Jennifer and Jerica will start soon. Lorelei has already started it, and we'll get this back up and rolling. Winter Holidays are a _blessing_. Okay, so thanks a lot. See ya 'round. ---Jai

Oh, and one more thing. I keep writing from Jerica's point of view, but we have some good Jennifer POV moments coming. You'll see.


End file.
